Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas blames Hamas for Israeli conflict

The future of the Hamas-backed “Unity Government” established to unite Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah government with the terrorist organization that ousted Fatah from Gaza faces an uncertain future.

Hamas overran Gaza, Palestine in 2007, ousting the Western-backed Fatah party. With Hamas at the helm, Hamas rockets have fueled repeated conflicts with Israel that have devastated the city and killed thousands of Palestinians.

After Hamas ignited the most recent clash with Israel, the subsequent Israeli response killed more than 2,100 Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians. Hamas fires its rockets at Israel from heavily populated urban areas of Gaza, ensuring maximum collateral damage.

Hamas counts on favorable Western media reports over the lopsided death toll between Palestine and Israel, which many say prompts the terrorists to stock their rockets in schools and hospitals.

Meanwhile, Abbas is struggling to remain relevant in his own territory where his government was conspicuously silent during the recent conflict that has now paused due to a cease-fire accomplished after Israel began picking off individual Hamas leaders in response to rocket fire and hostilities that have killed more than 65 Israelis.

Friday, Abbas publicly blamed Hamas for provoking the conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Abbas’ critical critique of Hamas’ conduct, which began with the killing of three Israeli teenagers, casts doubt on the future of the Palestinian "unity" government. Hamas, seeking credibility, backs the concept of a unity government which gives the organization a place at negotiation tables.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Friday that it is still too early to tell "if the new reality" would survive potential attacks on Israel by Hamas, but he said that he is examining the positive overtures from Abbas.

"The Egyptian formula was on the table on July 15th, it was backed by the Arab League, it was accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas then, and now more than a month later has belatedly been accepted by Hamas," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.

"As the dust clears from the conflict, I'm sure many people in Gaza will be asking why did Hamas reject a month ago what it accepted today, and if it had accepted then what it accepted now, how much bloodshed could have been avoided."

Since Hamas started the war by murdering the Israeli teenagers and firing hundreds of rockets at Israel, the militant organization has violated several cease-fires.

Political analysts say any lasting peace in the region will only come from a cessation of hostilities by Hamas militants in Gaza.